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Since 13 February 2025 executors and attorneys have had a second route for placing statutory estate notices. Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2025 confirms that you can publish an estate notice online in South Africa, not only in a printed newspaper alongside the Government Gazette. For anyone administering a deceased estate this changes the practical mechanics of getting a Section 29 or Section 35(5) notice published.
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This article sets out what the Directive does, the conditions an online notice must meet and what you can do differently from the print-only process.
What Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2025 changed
The Directive was issued by the Office of the Chief Master and took effect on 13 February 2025. It is read together with Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2020. Before it the standard route for a Section 29 or Section 35(5) notice was the Government Gazette plus a printed newspaper circulating in the relevant district.
The underlying Acts require that a notice be advertised and do not prescribe whether it must appear in print or digital form. On that basis the Directive accepts an online advertisement in place of the printed newspaper notice, provided it meets the conditions set out below.
The conditions an online notice must meet
The Directive does not accept any online posting. To be acceptable, the publication must:
- circulate in the district where the deceased ordinarily resided
- appear in both English and Afrikaans where the relevant act prescribes it
- be viewable online, free of charge, by any interested party
These conditions carry the weight. A notice placed on a platform that does not meet them does not do the job the statute requires, and the Master of the High Court can reject the verified publication record. The purpose of the notice is public access. The conditions exist to hold that access intact when the medium moves from print to screen.
What you can do differently now
The print-only process tied executors to a shrinking list of newspapers that still run a print edition and to their advertising deadlines. Online publication removes that bottleneck.
- Faster placement. A notice can be formatted, proofed and published without waiting for a weekly print cycle.
- National reach with regional targeting. A digital title can demonstrate circulation in the relevant district while remaining accessible anywhere.
- A permanent searchable record. The notice sits in an online archive that any interested party can find, which makes the verified publication record straightforward to produce for the Master’s Office.
None of this removes the executor’s duty. It changes where the notice can run, not whether it must run or what it must say.
Where Section 29 and Section 35(5) fit
Two notices carry most estate publication work and both fall under the Directive. Section 29 (J193) calls creditors and debtors to lodge claims against the estate. Read the full guide on the Section 29 notice in a deceased estate. Section 35(5) (J187) gives notice that the Liquidation and Distribution Account is open for inspection. Read the full guide on the Section 35(5) notice, and on how the two compare in Section 35(5) vs Section 29 estate notices.
Section 29 runs early, shortly after Letters of Executorship are issued. Section 35(5) runs later, once the Master has approved the Liquidation and Distribution Account. The Directive applies to both.
How to publish an estate notice online in South Africa
Publication runs through a digital title that meets the Directive’s conditions. The executor or attorney supplies the J193 or J187 form, or the underlying estate details, and the publisher formats the notice to the prescribed wording, proofs it and places it. A verified publication record is then available for the Master’s Office.
LegalNotice.co.za publishes Section 29 and Section 35(5) notices online in line with Chief Master’s Directive 1 of 2025, in English and Afrikaans where required, with regional circulation and free public access. Notices are formatted, proofed and placed with a verified publication record supplied. Send the J193 or J187 form, or request a quote, and the placement is handled end to end.
The route to online publication is open. The notice still has to be correct, complete and placed where the statute can be satisfied. That is the part worth getting right.
Legal Notice Publishing handles the full process for you. Contact jana@legalnotice.co.za or click here.
